Mayor Eric Garcetti says the city is prepared to cover any cost overrun or revenue shortfall if Los Angeles is chosen to host the 2024 Olympics. Also, while the news media continues to play “Guess what Donald Trump said this time?” Bernie Sanders has quietly been climbing the Democratic polls in the background. Then, call us at 866-893-5722 to tell us about your favorite dive in Los Angeles County and beyond!
To clinch Olympics bid, LA promises to pay cost overrun
Mayor Eric Garcetti says the city is prepared to cover any cost overrun or revenue shortfall if Los Angeles is chosen to host the 2024 Olympics, as Los Angeles inches closer to becoming the U.S.’s nominee to host the event.
The projected cost for hosting the games is estimated at around $4 billion. Garcetti’s statement came during an interview with the Los Angeles Times’ editorial board on Monday.
The city’s chances at hosting the 2024 games were revived after Boston unexpectedly dropped out in July – whether Boston is willing to pay for budget overrun was allegedly a sticking point.
Should L.A. host the 2024 Olympics? Should the city be committed to footing the bill for budget overrun? Does it make economic sense?
Guests:
David Wharton, sports writer at the Los Angeles Times. His piece in the paper today looks at the economics of L.A. hosting the 2024 Olympics. He tweets @LATimesWharton
Andrew Zimbalist, Professor of Economics at Smith College and author of the new book, “Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup” (Brookings Institution Press, 2015)
Why breakfast might NOT be the most important meal of the day
“Eat your breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day”-- it’s conventional wisdom, not to mention a pillar of U.S. Dietary Guideline policy.
But a closer look at the science behind those Dietary Guidelines reveals some pretty shaky evidence.
The Guidelines are important because they influence the menus of school lunches and other federally subsidized program and because in a time where obesity is still widespread, many parents look to them for sound eating advice.
It’s especially bad timing also, because the credibility of the committee’s nutritional recommendations have been shaken in the last year by watershed moments, like the dropping of a longstanding warning about dietary cholesterol, contradictory studies about the dangers of salt and saturated fat.
So, how important is breakfast? And should the U.S. Dietary Guidelines be dictating policy in areas where the science is still theoretical?
Guests:
Peter Whoriskey, staff writer for The Washington Post handling investigations of financial and economic topics and recently looked into studies about the nutritional benefits of breakfast
Linda Van Horn, professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at Northwestern University; she sat on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that considered the issue and was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Do you even read, bro? Author and professor makes case for ‘difficult fiction’
From the time we start to pick up books and read, we are reading mostly fiction. Many books traditionally assigned in middle and high school curriculum are fiction as well.
But in 2015, you’re probably more likely to pick up your smartphone or tablet than you are an actual book. Maybe you’re picking it up in order to read a book. Either way, where fictional literature was once the preferred method of absorbing knowledge, it has been replaced by the visual arts in the digital age....think things like videos, photos, Tweets, which are shorter, flashier, and less complex to digest.
It’s no secret that reading complex literature takes time and effort in order to glean what the author’s message was. Many likely ask themselves why they’d spend their time trying to find the meaning of a novel when they could read non-fiction and have it explained without metaphors or figures of speech.
In her article “The Virtues of Difficult Fiction,” author Joanna Scott writes, “Careful reading is difficult because it demands continuous learning. We have to work to learn new methods of reading in response to new methods of writing. But who wants to spend precious free hours figuring out a Gaddis novel when they could be relaxing with Netflix?”
Do you still read fiction for pleasure? If so, why? Do you find fiction difficult to read? Are there certain rewards gained from reading fiction that can’t be gained from the visual arts? What is fiction’s place in a largely digital world?
Guest:
Joanna Scott, fiction author whose novels include “Follow Me,” “The Manikin,” and “Arrogance.” Her piece “The Virtues of Difficult Fiction” was featured in an August edition of ‘The Nation.’ Joanna is also the Roswell Smith Burrows Professor of English at the University of Rochester in upstate New York
The Sanders Effect: Why more and more Democrats are feeling the ‘Bern’
While the news media continues to play “Guess what Donald Trump said this time?” Bernie Sanders has quietly been climbing the Democratic polls in the background.
Real Clear Politics’ average of all the polls still has him 25 percentage points behind Hillary Clinton, but the movement for and support behind the crazy-haired, sometimes crotchety Vermont Senator has been climbing slowly since last year.
A self-proclaimed socialist, Sanders has gained more than 16 percentage points since October of last year, more than any other Democratic candidate, and has been the most interesting in an otherwise unsurprising Democratic field.
Monday night, Sanders spoke at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and stuck to his platform, discussing economic reform and income inequality in front of a crowd of more than 27,000. He also spoke about immigration, and had an immigrants rights activist speak on the issue as well.
For many Democrats for whom Hillary Clinton is too moderate, Sanders is a refreshing change from mainstream liberals.
What is ‘The Sanders Effect?’ That is to say, why is such an unorthodox candidate so popular among Democrats? What do you think has contributed to his rise in the polls? Does he stand a realistic chance of competing with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination?
Guest:
Matt Dickinson, professor of political science at Middlebury College and author of the blog "Presidential Power"
Radical changes coming to wireless and cell phone purchasing in 2015
Later this week, Verizon customers will no longer be offered a traditional contract option when they want a new phone or a new plan.
News that the wireless provider will sell phones and plans separately is part of a trend started by T-Mobile and followed by AT&T, as well. As the Washington Post reports, a sea change in pricing is indicative of how the wireless business actually works (hint: it's called the wireless business, not the cellphone business).
The companies will focus more on selling data packages and while they will offer payment plans for new phones, iPhone buyers will see prices go from a couple of hundred dollars with a 2-year contract to $600-plus.
How will these changes impact consumer behavior?
Guest:
Brian Fung, Technology Reporter, The Washington Post
Of all the gin joints: KPCC-ers, Angelenos on the best dive bars in LA
Fancy $20 cocktails and newfangled mixologists have their utility in the world.
But when it comes to a no-frills gimlet or a straight whiskey on the rocks, the place to go is the humble dive bar. You know the kind -- where the drinks are stiff, the waiters are salty, and the regulars all look like characters from a Charles Bukowski novel.
Call us at 866-893-5722 to tell us about your favorite dive in Los Angeles County and beyond!
The Best Oscar Performances of All Time
Guest:
Kat Odell, Editor at Eater LA’s Drinks section. She was a cast member on the Bravo reality TV show, “Eat, Drink, Love” in 2013. She tweets @kat_odell